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FORUM TO PAY NAURU GOVERNMENT WAGES

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (RNZI, Sept. 27) – The Pacific Islands Forum plans to help pay the wages of Nauru government workers, many of which have gone unpaid for months.

As part of a package of measures resulting from a plea made to Pacific leaders at last month’s Forum meeting in Apia, the Forum will also offer help to get the Budget approved.

Nauru has been struggling financially for months while most of its key assets in Australia are expected to be sold off to meet a huge debt to General Electric Capital Corporation.

The Deputy Secretary of the Forum, Josefa Maiava, who led a team to Nauru last month to assess the situation, says they have offered to help reform the budget and the economy as a whole.

"We will be assisting the government; providing some assistance to the government to help it meet its wage bill, and help the government move on the reform process - get some assistance with the budget, get the budget approved."

Maiava also said the Forum is looking to provide key personnel in the justice department and the audit office.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.